The Mess I Made
by comeinwiththerain
Summary: Missouri wasn't her ideal summer vacation. Her aunt's house wasn't her ideal resort. And meeting him wasn't her ideal fairytale.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I want to let you guys know before you read that this is an Alex/OC. I always feel like you can do so much more with an OC.**

--

She had no idea how she ended up here. She's been asking herself the same questions for the past week and a half; How the _fuck _did she end up in smelly old house with no one for company but her obnoxious older brother and seventy-two year old aunt? _Why _was she forced to see a counselor every goddamn Thursday afternoon? And why in the world was her wand all the way back in New York? In a way, she understands why her parents wanted the summer to themselves. Especially after last summer, when they tried the traditional "family vacation" and Alex made the mistake of wishing her parents had never met.

But, that's a whole other story. And she fixed that problem, didn't she? She sighed, and flicked through the whole twelve channels this television had.

"I'm going swimming," Justin said as he walked in the living room where Alex was, grabbing his swim trunks that were hanging off the chair.

Alex smiled sarcastically, "Good for you."

He sighed, "I was going to see if you wanted to come. I thought it might be good for you instead of just sitting around watching Jeopardy." He pointed to the television screen.

Alex scoffed, "It's not my fault this woman doesn't have cable!"

He rolled his eyes, "Alex, we're staying at a house that's on a lake. You don't need cable when you got that."

"Yeah, because lakes are so fascinating!" She said with fake enthusiasm, "And maybe, when we're done swimming in the lake, we can go hiking in the forest! You know, the forest, _the only thing that's around us._"

Just sighed heavily and simply shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever, I tried. But really, you should get out of the house."

"Well, I _could_ make things a little more interesting around here if I had my wand.." She trailed off, her mind wandering to all the possibilities.

"And that's exactly why you don't have it," Justin shook his head disapprovingly.

Alex glared at her older brother, "Will you just go swimming already and leave me be?"

"Fine." He said coldly, gripping his swim trunks and walking out of the living room.

She sighed relief, "Finally." She mumbled to herself.

"Dear, you should really get out of the house."

Alex clutched the remote in her hand, not wanting to lose control of herself. She wanted to be left alone, that was all. She was sick of getting these lectures everyday. She was sick of everyone trying to get her to get up and go out. She was in fucking _Missouri._ What do these people expect her to do?

"I'm not feeling well," She lied through her teeth as her aunt smiled falsely at her. She may be old, but she's not oblivious to everything just yet. She was not buying it.

"How about me and you go into town today? Get some lunch?" Her aunt was trying so hard, and Alex felt guilt rising in her stomach.

She inwardly groaned. "Sure, Ruth." She smiled, "I just have to take a shower."

"Of course," She smiled. "Let your brother know, I'm sure he'd be delighted to join us." She looked out the window, seeing Justin jumping from the dock and into the lake. She smiled. "He's up for anything, that boy."

"Yep, he's a real catch." Alex smirked, rolling her eyes as her aunt turned in the opposite direction. Yes, she realizes how much of a better person Justin is then her, no need to subtly hint at it.

She decided that she couldn't just sit there any longer watching a bunch of dumbasses get the wrong answers on _Jeopardy._ She had to get up, she had to get dressed. She _did _say that she'd go to lunch with Ruth and Justin. And she didn't have the heart to come up with yet again, another excuse as to why she couldn't spend a little bit of time with her aging aunt.

She stood up from the couch, and sprinted up the stairs into her temporary bedroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and shrugged. She was clean enough, no need to take another shower. As she threw on an outfit that definitely _did not _match anything these people in this tiny town wore, her phone started to vibrate uncontrollably. With only one leg put through her black leggings, she hopped over to her nightstand where her cellphone was sitting.

She looked at the caller I.D. It was Max.

"Hey, loser." She grinned, holding the cellphone between her shoulder and her ear as she continued to put the rest of her leggings on.

"Alex?" He questioned.

"Uh, yes?"

"Oh.. I meant to call mom."

She rolled her eyes at his stupidity. "Nice, Max. How's camp?"

"It's awesome! There's this guy who -"

"Yeah, that's really great." She cut him off, not wanting to listen to him ramble on for hours. "But, I'm sort of stuck going out to lunch with Aunt Ruth," She groaned, "Let's finish this conversation some other time."

"Okay! See ya, sis."

She hung up the phone, and laughed a bit. She actually _missed _her younger brother. Well, she had to admit, he was a lot more entertaining then Justin..

Thinking of her older brother, she remembered that she was supposed to tell him about lunch. She peered out of her window, and saw him standing out on the dock, wrapping his towel around himself.

She ran down the stairs and out the door, "Justin!" She called from the beginning of the dock. "We're going into town, so get dry. And put a shirt on. Trust me, _no one_ wants to see that."

He rolled his eyes, but overall ignored the jab. "You're actually leaving the house?!" He called back to her.

Alex folded her arms across her chest and turned back into the house, she wasn't going to answer that.

–

"This is lovely," Ruth exclaimed, sitting down at a cute little café, both Alex and Justin sitting across from her.

Justin smiled, "Yeah, it's really nice. Have you ever been here before, Ruth?"

"_Have you ever been here before, Ruth?"_ Alex quietly mocked, loud enough for only Justin to here as she looked through the menu. She grinned as she felt Justin's glares.

Ruth nodded, "Of course. In a town like this, I've been everywhere." She laughed, as did Justin.

"Very true," He smiled, now picking up his own menu and scanning through it.

Alex set her menu down, "Do you think if I asked, they'd make me a double bacon cheeseburger?"

Her only response was skeptical stares from both Ruth and Justin.

She pursed her lips and picked up her menu once again, "I guess I'll keep looking.."

–

"I am so full from that," Ruth chuckled, walking out of the café.

"Oh, yeah, that salad was _so _filling," Alex said sarcastically. Luckily, only Justin caught on, and he made sure that she knew that.

He shot her a glare, "_Anyways,_ Ruth. Is there anything else you'd like to do?"

Alex rolled her eyes, annoyed at how much of a suck-up Justin was being.

"Well, there's this adorable little boutique.. Alex," She smiled at her niece, "I think you'd really like it."

Alex mustered up the best smile she could, "Oh, can't wait!" She clapped her hands together.

Justin sighed, as they continued on their way to the boutique.

"Oh, here it is!" Ruth exclaimed, stopping in front of petite little shop with the words _"Darla's __Boutique" _written across it.

"Sounds like a winner," Alex mumbled, crossing her arms and reluctantly following her aunt inside.

While she was looking at a piece of fabric that was apparently supposed to be a shirt, her eyes wandered to across the street. She noticed a little souvenir shop (why anyone would want souvenirs from here, she had no idea) and she also noticed the boy who was working there.

She bit her lip, looking around to see where her family members were. No sight of them. Quickly, she ran out of the boutique and across the street. She patted her hair down before walking into the souvenir shop, trying her best to make sure it wasn't frizzy.

She opened the door, and as she did so the little bell on the top rang. The boy, who might as well been one of the most gorgeous creatures she had ever seen, smiled right at her and said something like, "Welcome to Sullivan's Souvenir Shop.." Blah, blah, blah. She was too fixated on that smile.

He was about three feet taller then her, with dark brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He was tan from being out in the sun, but she took note to how his cheeks received the most color. She took a deep breath, she needed to play this off right.

"I'm not really looking for a souvenir.." She said, and his face crinkled in confusion.

He chuckled, "Well, I think you're in the wrong shop then."

She smiled, "Well, actually, I saw you in here, and you seem to be the only person my age in this entire town." She laughed, "Well, that I've seen, anyways."

"Don't tell me you're on vacation here.." He said, his voice showing pity.

She scoffed, "No way. I'm here visiting my aunt for the summer. Fun, huh?"

He grinned, "Loads."

"So.." She started, "What's there to do around here?"

"Honestly, nothing." He shrugged, "It's not too bad, though. I jet ski when I'm bored, and I work here. So, that takes up some time. And since it's summer, there's a lot of parties down by the lakes."

"Really?" She asked, now one hundred percent interested. "I've never jet skied _or _been to a party by a lake."

The boy grinned, "I guess I'm gonna have to change that then, huh?"

Alex smirked, "I guess you are."

"Oh," He said, reaching his hand out to hers, "I'm Derek, by the way."

She reached her hand to his and smiled, "I'm -"

"- Alex!"

She spun her head quickly around, seeing a flustered looking Justin.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!"

She bit her lip, "Sorry?"

Justin simply sighed, "Come on, Ruth is getting tired and if I have to look at one more antique I think I might hitchhike back to New York." He complained, shaking his head at the thought of it.

Alex grinned, "That's the best idea you've had so far!"

"Yeah, yeah." He dismissed it, "Let's go."

She turned around to face the boy once more, "So, I'll see you around?"

"Definitely." He smiled, "See ya, Alex."

–

Just something that kind of popped into my mind as I'm home sick with a virus... Hope you like it so far, anyways! Leave your thoughts :)


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Auntie.." Alex began sweetly, smiling innocently and swinging on her heel. "Do you think it'd be okay if I went back into town tomorrow?"

Ruth smiled delightfully, "Of course, dear!" As her smile grew, her eyes crinkled. "I'm so glad you've found something around here you like."

"Oh, I've found something I like alright.." Alex mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Ruth asked as she was making her way into the living room.

Alex stood where she was, "Oh, uh.. I'm gonna go.. find Justin. Yeah." She smiled, and sprinted off up to the room she calls hers for the remainder of the summer. She plopped down onto her bed, grinning ear to ear as she thought of Derek. Hey, you can't blame a girl for getting excited. After all, she's been stuck in this house for the past week and a half. All she could think about was his eyes, and his smile, and how his dark hair fell right above his eyes..

She was interrupted by a knock on the door, and knew automatically that it was Justin. He had been doing this every night since they got there. She slowly sat up, and shot him a smile. "Wuddup, brudda."

His eyebrows came together in confusion, "Did I just see a smile?"

She shrugged, "You might have."

"That's..." He trailed off, trying to think of the right word. "..odd."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She sighed and let herself fall back down onto her soft bed. "I finally found something interesting in this town."

"Oh!" Justin exclaimed, his face lighting up. "You found out about the jet ski rentals too?!"

She stifled a laugh, "Uh.. yeah. You could say that."

"So, you're down for getting them tomorrow?" He asked, excitement etched into his face.

"Can't." She said, reaching over to her nightstand to check her phone for any text messages. None. Typical.

His face fell, "Why not!?"

"_Because,_" She said, like it was the biggest inconvenience to explain to this to him. "I'm going into town tomorrow."

He looked at her like she had lost her mind, "Why would you want to go back into town..?"

"What's wrong with going into town?!" She defended, "_Darla's Boutique _was totally cool."

"Yeah," He scoffed. "Like you'd know that. You left and went to that stupid souvenir shop and..." He stopped, and he got this all-knowing smile on his face. "You want to see that boy again! _That's _why you were in there!"

"What?! No!"

"Yeah, right. C'mon, Alex.."

She glared at him, "Is it wrong to want to make some friends?!"

"Yeah," He smirked. "'Friends'" He took the liberty of putting air quotes around the word 'friends.'

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, whatever. I was gonna invite you to some parties down by the lake, but now... Eh." She shrugged, "I don't think I will."

"That boy invited you to a party?" He asked, raising his eyebrows suspiciously.

Alex nodded, "Yep, and I'm _sure _he hangs out with some cute girls.."

"Alex.."

"They have those adorable little accents.."

"Seriously, Alex.."

"Yeah, and we could _probably _jet ski for free.."

Justin's eyes widened. "Okay, okay."

Alex looked at her brother shamefully, "Wait. So, you give in for a jet ski, but not for cute girls?"

"I _happen _to have a girlfriend, Alex." He said proudly, "That I'm in love with. No girl here could compare to her."

Alex made a noise of disgust, "Yeah, no one can compare to your _vampire_ girlfriend.." She shook her head, "You make me sick."

He sighed dreamily, "It's called falling in love. You'll find it someday." He thought about his statement for a moment, "Actually.."

Alex reached behind her and whipped a pillow off of Justin's head, "Shut up, will you?!" She let out a short laugh.

Justin chuckled, and threw the pillow right back at her. He stood up from the edge of her bed and made his way to the door, "I'm gonna head off to bed."

"No, you're going to spend two hours on the phone with Juliet, _then _you're gonna head off to bed." Alex grinned.

Justin took his cellphone out of his pocket, "Dialing her number now." He smirked, as he left her bedroom.

Alex was just about to close her eyes when Justin's head popped back into her room, "But, uh, were you kidding about those free jet ski rides.."

She rolled her eyes, "Leave, Justin!" She laughed slightly as she threw a pillow across the room, almost hitting him. He closed the door just in time.

–

The sound of a small bell rang through the shop, and Alex decided right then that she hated that bell. It wasn't as if there were many people actually inside of the shop but, upon entering, that small amount of people's attention all turned towards her.

As an elderly woman and a young boy continued on with there browsing after glancing Alex's way, she peered over to the register.

Her face fell. He wasn't there.

"Hi!" A charismatic brunette girl exclaimed, "Welcome to-"

"-_Sullivan's Souvenir Shop_," Alex sighed. "Yeah, I got it."

The girl's cheerful smile faded away and she awkwardly played around with her fingers. "Yeah," She chuckled guilty. "That _can _be kind of annoying.."

Alex inwardly groaned as she felt the guilt rise up in her stomach. She hated the fact that sometimes she actually got the tendency to act like a civil human being. "No, I'm sorry," she said, setting her hands on the counter. "I'm just.. looking for someone." She sighed, and took a glance around the area, "I can't find them.. It's just frustrating."

The girls smile suddenly reappeared, "Oh! Oh!" She clapped her hands together, "I can _so _help you out with that! I mean, this town is tiny! I can tell you how to get _anywhere._"

Alex's eyes widened at the girls sudden enthusiasm. She took a deep breath and did the best she could to keep her cool, "Okay.. that's awesome and all, but if I knew where they were, I wouldn't be looking.."

The girl nodded slowly, "Riight."

Alex mustered up a smile and lightly hit the counter where she was standing, "Well, since they're not in here, I really should get going so I'm just gonna, walk out this door here.." She said cautiously, making her way towards the door with that obnoxious bell that she hated ever so much.

"Wait!" The girl cried, motioning Alex to come back. "So rude of me, I never introduced myself." She smiled widely, "I'm Danielle."

Alex reluctantly made her way over to the register, "I'm Alex." She said blandly, "Now, uh, if you'll excuse me.."

"You're _definitely _not from around here, I can tell." Danielle nodded annoyingly.

Alex scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, not knowing whether to take that as an insult or as a compliment. "Is it because of my excellent taste in fashion that gives it away? Or maybe the fact that I have a cellphone.. You guys have heard of those, right?"

Danielle merely laughed, "You're so funny! I have a cellphone, see!" She whipped out an old-looking, beat up flip-phone. "Oh my God, light bulb!"

Alex cocked her head to the side, "...light bulb?"

"Like, I have an idea!" She grinned from ear to ear, "We should totally exchange numbers!"

Alex's eyes widened. "Numbers.. uh.. mine seems to have been disconnected." Alex made a sad face and shrugged.

Danielle's face fell, "Oh, well. I'll probably see you around, anyways. Are you going to be here for a while?"

Alex contemplated whether or not to tell her. "Uh, you could say that.."

"Well, while you're here you can _totally _hang out with me and my friends." Danielle offered with that smile that seemed to be permanently plastered to her face.

"Sounds _super_," Alex replied with false enthusiasm.

"I _know_, right?!" Danielle jumped excitedly, "And you should definitely meet my brother. Well, he hangs out with me and my friends.. So, they're his friends too.. We're all friends!"

"Wait," Alex stopped her rambling. "You have a brother?"

She nodded.

"Is this, by any chance, a family owned store?" Alex asked, putting the pieces together as the _Jaws _theme song started to play in her head. Terror was approaching.

Her face lit up, "Yes! You can tell by how homey and comfortable I made it look, right? Derek wanted to put baseball pictures up. _Baseball pictures!_"

Alex's face turned a sickly pale. _Derek_ was this... this _insane_ girl's brother. And she's being nice when she says that. She felt stupid for not realizing it as she finally takes the time to take in Danielle's appearance. She was tall, maybe around 5'7. She was thin with bronzed skin from being out in the sun. Like Derek, her cheeks were what got the most color. The only thing different were the eyes; While Derek had bright blue eyes that she could get lost in, Danielle's were dark. They were like a navy color, and if you were creepy enough to get that close you would see that they looked like marbles. Dark blues and grays everywhere.

She groaned, "No. No, no, no, no!"

"I know!" Danielle huffed, "That boy can be so stupid sometimes."

"Dani," Alex began, "Is it okay if I call you that?"

"Well, no one's ever called me that before but I guess you -"

"- great." Alex grinned, cutting her off. "But, I _really _have to go."

"Aw," Dani's smile dropped. "That's okay, though! We'll hang out some other time!" She chuckled, "When I'm not so busy at work."

Alex took a quick glance at the empty shop, "Yeah.. business is booming in here."

"I get off at four!" Dani announced, a look of hope in her eyes. "Maybe we can hang out? I have a few jet ski's.."

Alex knew Justin would be kill her if she didn't take this offer. But, what he doesn't know can't hurt him, right? "As much I'd _love _too, Dani, I can't. I'm... spending time with my brother." She lied through her teeth, and was so happy Dani wasn't yet aware of the relationship she had with her brother then. She would have never believed her.

Dani shrugged, but kept her smile this time. "S'okay, he can come too!" She grinned. "We have two jet ski's.. Course, Derek would never let me take his without him, so, he'll probably end up coming." She rolled her eyes.

Alex's attitude suddenly got a lot perkier. She grinned, "Can't wait."

–

**Since this story is mostly O/C, I'm trying to get in the characters and let you see what their personalities are like. The story will start flowing soon. More to come :)**


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